The Plan established a separate fund of money - $57.5 million - to make Expedited Release or Disease Payments to women who were implanted with certain types of silicone gel breast implants from 1976-1991. To be eligible, a claimant must have been implanted with a silicone gel breast implant made by one of the manufacturers listed below. Claimants who were implanted with a Dow Corning implant are not eligible to receive benefits from the Class 7 fund.
| If you have a silicone gel breast implant implanted from 1976-1991 from one of the following, you are a Silicone Material Claimant | If you have a silicone gel breast implant implanted from 1976-1991 from any of the following, you are a Participating Foreign Gel Claimant |
| Bioplasty | Koken |
| Baxter | Medasil |
| Bristol | Silimed |
| Cox-Uphoff (CUI) | Societe Prometel |
| Mentor |
The deadline to file a claim for Class 7 benefits was June 1, 2006. No new claims are allowed.
Class 7 Payments
The Settlement Facility issued Expedited Release and Foreign Gel Claimant Payments to eligible claimants in the amount of $600.
Claimants in Class 7 who applied for Disease and who "marshaled" their recoveries were sent a Disease Cash-Out Offer of $3,000. Claimants who reject the Disease Cash-Out Offer will have their disease claim reviewed and, if approved, paid up to 40% of the Class 5 compensation grid.
Payments you have received from Baxter, Bristol, 3M or McGhan (1984 - 1991) will be deducted from any payments you qualify for from the Fund.
After you select a payment option or are approved for a Class 7 Disease, you cannot change the election or return the check.
Expedited Release claimants will not be permitted to return the check for a Disease review.
If you rejected the Cash Out Offer and did not provide medical records, you are not eligible for a Disease review and the Cash Out Offer will not be reissued.
Class 7 Processing Updates
In preparation to pay Class 7 Disease claims, the SFDCT performed a quality audit review to ensure proper processing of all claims in the class. If your claim was affected by the audit, correspondence will be sent to you regarding the change in your review status. Your prompt response to letters requesting action on your part or with time sensitive materials or deadlines will expedite the payment process.
Class 7 is a limited fund that can not pay ANY disease claims until all Class 7 claims are processed and all cure deadlines have expired. Because of this time constraint, the SF-DCT will perform an ACTD Discretionary review simultaneously with your Option 2 review when applicable.